Voyage of the Indian subcontinent since Pangea breakup and driving force of supercontinent cycles: Insights on dynamics from numerical modeling

Recent advances in three-dimensional numerical simulations of mantle convection have aided in approximately reproducing continental movement since the Pangea breakup at 200 Ma. These have also led to a better understanding of the thermal and mechanical coupling between mantle convection and surface plate motion and predictions of the configuration of the next supercontinent. The simulations of mantle convection from 200 Ma to the present reveals that the development of large-scale cold mantle downwellings in the North Tethys Ocean at the earlier stage of the Pangea breakup triggered the northward movement of the Indian subcontinent. The model of high temperature anomaly region beneath Pangea resulting from the thermal insulation effect support the breakup of Pangea in the real Earth time scale, as also suggested in previous geological and geodynamic models. However, considering the low radioactive heat generation rate of the depleted upper mantle, the high temperature anomaly region might have been generated by upwelling plumes with contribution of deep subducted TTG(tonalite-trondhjemite-granite) materials enriched in radiogenic elements. Integrating the numerical results of mantle convection from 200 Ma to the present, and from the present to the future, it is considered that the mantle drag force acting on the base of continents may be comparable to the slab pull force, which implies that convection in the shallower part of the mantle is strongly coupled with surface plate motion.

Insecticide resistance in phlebotomine sandflies in Southeast Asia with emphasis on the Indian subcontinent

Background:Visceral leishmaniasis,commonly known as kala-azar in India,is a global public health problem.In Southeast Asia,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Nepal,Sri Lanka and Thailand are endemic for visceral leishmaniasis.The role of sandflies as the vector of kala-azar was first confirmed in 1942 in India.Insecticide resistance in Phlebotomus argentipes Annandale and Brunetti,the vector of kala-azar in the Indian subcontinent,was first reported in 1987 in Bihar,India.This article provides a scoping review of the studies undertaken from 1959 to 2015 on insecticide resistance in P.argentipes and P.papatasi(Scopoli),the vectors of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis respectively,in Southeast Asia,mainly in Bangladesh,India,Nepal and Sri Lanka.Results:Studies undertaken in areas of Bihar and West Bengal in India where kala-azar is endemic have reported resistance of P.argentipes to DDT,while in non-endemic areas it has been reported to be susceptible.In areas of Nepal bordering India,there are indications of resistance to DDT;biochemical resistance has been reported in Sri Lanka.No laboratory studies have been undertaken in Bangladesh;however,the sandfly vector is reported to be still susceptible to pyrethroids in all kala-azar endemic areas in the aforementioned countries.Conclusions:Studies are needed to determine the resistance of sandfly vectors to all available classes of potential insecticides in kala-azar endemic areas.There is a need to assess the impact of indoor residual spraying with DDT and pyrethroids on the incidence of kala-azar in India where 54 districts remain endemic for the disease,strengthen entomological surveillance capacity,and develop and implement an insecticide management plan.Alpha-cypermethrin indoor residual spraying has been introduced in 33 kala-azar endemic districts in Bihar State of India in a pilot trial;the outcomes should be used to inform decisions on expanding coverage with alpha-cypermethrin in all remaining endemic districts to achieve the revised goal of elimination of visceral leishmaniasis by 2020.

NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE EFFECT OF INDIAN SUBCONTINENT VEGETATION COVER ON SUMMER MONSOON

In the present paper,a global two-dimensional climate model developed by Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS) with inclusion of a simple parameterization of land surface processes developed recently by Zhang and Li is used to investigate the effect of vegetation cover of the Indian subcontinent on summer monsoon circulation and its rainfall. First of all,we carried out a control experiment in which the distribution of vegetation species was based on obser- vations.Then,with removal of the vegetation cover on the subcontinent,a sensitivity experiment was performed. For both of the experiments,the integrations were made from the beginning of April to the end of July.The results show that,after the vegetation was removed from the subcontinent,the monthly mean updraft and the monsoon circula- tion to the south of the Plateau was weakened in June and July.Especially,the change was more manifest in June.Also, in the south side of the Plateau,the easterly component was strengthened in the lower troposphere,the monsoon rainfall was reduced over the central India.Moreover,the rainfall was obviously reduced over the southern India from the end of June to the beginning of July.

Biotic interchange between the Indian subcontinent and mainland Asia through time

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences,the research team led by Prof.Li Jiatang(李家堂)at Chengdu Institute of Biology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,explored the biotic interchange between the Indian subcontinent and mainland

Phylogeography and diversification of Oriental weaverbirds(Ploceus spp.):A gradual increase of eurytopy

Weaverbirds are a speciose group of colorful passerines inhabiting the Old World Tropics.Nevertheless,the Oriental weaverbirds(Ploceus spp.),widespread across southern Asia,are much less diverse and restricted to a few ecological niches compared to their African counterpart.To investigate their phylogeography,we retrieved 101 samples of Baya Weaver(P.philippinus),Streaked Weaver(P.manyar),Black-Throated Weaver(P.benghalensis)and Asian Golden Weaver(P.hypoxanthus)along with GenBank sequences of Finn's Weaver(P.megarhynchus).We reconstructed the first molecular phylogeny based on a dataset consisting of both mitochondrial and nuclear genes,dating the most recent common ancestor of Oriental Ploceus to~11 mya.Subsequent speciation appears to have been a combination of divergence within the Indian subcontinent and dispersal across a barrier situated between the Indian subcontinent and the Indochinese region,which provided habitats with a varying degree of isolations and ultimately promoted divergences in allopatry.Two descendants of the earliest nodes,P.megarhynchus and P.hypoxanthus,are both rare and local,often found near large river systems,which perhaps reflects niche conservatism and a lack of adaptive potential.The three smaller species are all widespread,common and less habitat specific.The most recent divergence,between western and eastern P.philippinus populations,is supported by both phylogenetic and morphological evidence,pointing toward limited gene flow between them.However,a zone of intergradation may exist in Myanmar and Brahmaputra flood plains,thus preventing a recommendation for species level recognition without further study.

Oldest Asian Record of Snapping Shrimps(Malacostraca:Alpheidae)from the Kutch Basin,Western India and Associated Biota:Biostratigraphic,Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Significance

The oldest Asian record of alpheid shrimps,assigned to genus Alpheus,based on snapping claw fingertips from the Miocene Khari Nadi Formation in the Kutch Basin,western India reported herein,extends the fossil record of the family Alpheidae from Asia by~22 million years.An early Miocene(Aquitanian)age is estimated based on the associated assemblage of calcareous nannofossils,Sphenolithus disbelemnos,Cyclicargolithus floridanus,and Reticulofenestra haqii.The co-occurring microbiota includes bony fish otolith remains,identified as“genus Gobiidarum”,isolated teeth of Dasyatis rays,Sphyrna sharks,and teleosts,ctenoid and placoid scales,ostracods,belonging to the genera Paractinocythereis,Alocopocythere,Ruggieria,Aglaiocypris,Bairdoppilata,and echinoid spines.Taken together,the microfossil assemblage and data from chemical analyses using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy,X-Ray Diffraction and Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence of host and associated lithologies suggests prevalence of a shallow(neritic)to coastal marine(intertidal)depositional paleoenvironment.The present investigation also provides the oldest fossil evidence on the co-occurrence of Alpheus and gobiids(based on otoliths)that strongly advocates that the mutualistic association between these animal groups had developed by the Aquitanian.

Hepatitis E in Israel: A nation-wide retrospective study

AIM: To investigate the epidemiology, risk factors and clinical course of acute hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Israel, an industrialized country.METHODS: A retrospective analysis of acute HEV cases diagnosed in Israel from 1993 to 2013. Acute HEV was defined by ALT/AST elevation and a positive HEV PCR test or positive anti-HEV-IgM serology. HEV RNA was tested by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Antibodies to HEV were tested retrospectively using an ELISA assay. HEV-RNA was sequenced using RT-PCR of ORF1 and ORF2 regions to diagnose genotype of the virus. Epidemiologic and clinical data were collected by reviewing the clinical files and through a telephone interview according to a structured questionnaire.RESULTS: Acute HEV was diagnosed in 68 patients. Among the 59 patients who gave an informed consent and were interviewed, 41% of infections were autochthonous (acquired in Israel), 44% travel-related and 15% imported by foreign workers. Autochthonous patients were mainly females (62.5%), more than half of them pregnant, 26% recalled consuming food or water in areas with poor sanitation, 44% ate non-kosher meat. Fulminant hepatitis developed in 3 patients (5%), all of them were females, two of them with post-partum infection, all acquired the disease in Israel (autochthonous). Israeli travelers with imported infection were predominantly males (73%), acquired the disease in the Indian subcontinent (81%), with 100% reporting having consumed fresh vegetables and drinks with ice cubes abroad. Six patients’ sera were tested for genotype and revealed HEV genotype 1 (all cases acquired in the Indian subcontinent).CONCLUSION: This is the first report which highlights the existence of hepatitis E as an autochthonous infection in Israel. Imported HEV originates mostly from the Indian subcontinent.

<i>Pakisaurus balochistani</i>(Poripuchia, Slender Titanosauria, Sauropoda) Associated Skeletons Found from the Latest Maastrichtian Vitakri Formation of Pakistan and Referred Fossils from India;Filling of Important Missing Links of <i>Isisaurus colberti</i>Titanosaur Found from Pakistan

Recently two slender and medium to large sized titanosaur taxa like Pakisaurus balochistani and Isisaurus colberti of pakisaurids Poripuch along with small sized stocky Saraikimasoom and medium sized stocky Gspsaurus of gspsaurids Poripuch have been recognized from Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. The diagnosis and description of Pakisaurus balochistani and some missing elements of Isisaurus colberti discovered from Pakistan are added here for understanding of possible fuller anatomy of slender titanosaurs. Further so far no any research information regarding the comparison of titanosaurs of India and Pakistan is available. Here present research provides the comparison between titanosaurs recognized from Pakistan and India.

<i>Induszalim bala</i>Mesoeucrocodile from Pakistan

Induszalim bala is the first diagnostic mesoeucrocodile from Indo-Pakistan subcontinent having rostrum articulated with dentary symphysis and associated vertebrae and limb bones and provides facility for comparison with other mesoeucrocodiles. Induszalim is a medium to large sized mesoeucrocodile found in the latest Maastrichtian Vitakri Lameta Formation of Fort Munro Group just below Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary line. Induszalim has sufficient skeletal elements and can be used for phylogenetic studies. Induszalim shows Gondwanan paleobiogeographic affinity with some endemic elements.

Roads on the Plateau

CHINA’S scenic province of Yunnan is located in the transitional belt between the Indo-China Peninsula and the South Asian subcontinent. It neighbors four provinces and autonomous regions and borders three countries. Since ancient times it has served as an important land gateway linking China with Southeast and South Asia.

Into Africa via docked India: a fossil climbing perch from the Oligocene of Tibet helps solve the anabantid biogeographical puzzle

The northward drift of the Indian Plate and its collision with Eurasia have profoundly impacted the evolutionary history of the terrestrial organisms, especially the ones along the Indian Ocean rim. Climbing perches(Anabantidae) are primary freshwater fishes showing a disjunct south Asian-African distribution,but with an elusive paleobiogeographic history due to the lack of fossil evidence. Here, based on an updated time-calibrated anabantiform phylogeny integrating a number of relevant fossils, the divergence between Asian and African climbing perches is estimated to have occurred in the middle Eocene(ca.40 Ma, Ma: million years ago), a time when India had already joined with Eurasia. The key fossil lineage is ?Eoanabas, the oldest anabantid known so far, from the upper Oligocene of the Tibetan Plateau.Ancestral range reconstructions suggest a Southeast Asian origin in the early Eocene(ca. 48 Ma) and subsequent dispersals to Tibet and then India for this group. Thereby we propose their westbound dispersal to Africa via the biotic bridge between India and Africa. If so, climbing perch precursors had probably followed the paleobiogeographical route of snakehead fishes, which have a slightly older divergence between African and Asian taxa. As such, our study echoes some recent molecular analyses in rejecting the previously held ‘‘Gondwana continental drift vicariance" or late Mesozoic dispersal scenarios for the climbing perches, but provides a unique biogeographical model to highlight the role of the preuplift Tibet and the docked India in shaping the disjunct distribution of some air-breathing freshwater fishes around the Indian Ocean.

Paleogene mammalian fauna exchanges and the paleogeographic pattern in Asia

Mammals are the most important elements in Cenozoic terrestrial ecosystem. The composition and the character of a mammalian fauna are controlled by evolution time and evolutionary rate. Here we took 50 Asian Paleogene mammalian faunas as representatives and applied Bayesian Tip-dating method to infer the relationships and divergence times among these faunas.Based on the results of Bayesian Tip-dating analyses, we discussed the correlation between the paleogeographic changes and the mammalian fauna turn-overs. Compared with the traditional fauna correlation and sorting, Bayesian Tip-dating analyses revealed more detailed similarities reflected via the divergence times among the 50 faunas. We discovered that the early Eocene mammalian fauna, which firstly appeared in India subcontinent, is similar to the faunas of the same age in other parts of Asia. It is likely that a passage for the mammalian dispersal was formed before early Eocene. Bayesian inferring suggests that the first appearance of the dispersal passage is during 64.8–61.3 Ma. This time window is close to the time estimation for the initial time of India-Asia collision. During 57.1–47.2 Ma, India subcontinent probably had a habitat different from the main part of Asia, as it was reflected from the composition of the mammalian faunas. It is probably correlated with the uplifted Gangdese Mountain and shallow seas and lowlands on both sides of the collision region. The very remote divergence time(64.8 Ma) estimated by Bayesian inferring reflects the mammalian fauna turnover during the Eocene-Oligocene transition, obviously affected by the global cooling. Till the end of Oligocene, the Arabic Peninsula and Asian mainland remained separated and the mammalian faunas did not show clear connection.